Tubing catcher stop



Aug. 30, 1932. M. F. WATERS l TUBING CATGHER'ISTOP gwomto'o M E Waocrs,

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dttocm Aug. 30, 1932. M. F. WATERS 1,874,573

TUBING CATCHER STOP Filed Feb. 10, 1931 2 SheetsSheet, 2

' ggg@ V/ AM me-nto@ Cubi/M Patented Aug. 30, 1932 UNITEDv STATES MILLARD F. WATERS, OF TULSA,

PATENT OFFICE TUBING cA'rcHE'R sro? Application led February 10, 1931. Serial No. 514,856.

My invention consists in new and useful improvements in a tubing catcher stop or setting device and is particularly adapted for use in connection with a tubing catcher of the type employing a slip carriage' slidably mounted on a section of tubing carrying a tapered mandrel or the like, wherein the relative movement of the mandrel within the carriage expands the slips into engagement with the well casing, said carriage normally resting upona collar provided on the well tubing to support the slips in inoperative position.

n The object of my invention. is to provide l a tubing catcher setting device which will remain in an inoperative position while the string of tubing is being lowered into a well casing but which by a slight turn of the tubing may be brought into operative engage- 90 ment with the slip carriage of a tubing catcher to halt or retard the relative downward movement of said carriagevwith respect to the mandrel carried by the tubing, whereby when a predetermined depth is reached in the casing, the wedge slips or gripping members of the tubing catcher may be brought into engagement with the well casing.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel arrangement for normally retaining the stop or setting device ininoperative position during the lowering of a string of tubing into a casing.

With the above and other, ob `ects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention consists in the novel features herein set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

YReferring yto the drawings in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a view partially in side elevation and partially in section showing the tubing catcher stop in inoperative position, the lower portion of the tubing catcher slip carriage being shown in section. Y

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but with the tubing slightly turned inl counter-clockwise direction, and intermediate position assumed whenthe device isabout to be brought into function.

F ig., 3 is a further view similar to Fig. 1 showing thetubing catcher stopy in operative engagement with the tubing catcher slip carriage. l l

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. l, and

Fig.- 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. l showing the slot ara rangement for retaining the tubing catcher stop in normally inoperative position.

In the drawings, l represents a stringof well tubing, the various sectionsl of which are secured together by collars or couplings `2 65 which arev also adapted to serve as supports for the slip carriage 3 of a tubing catcher 4, said carriage being slidably mounted on a mandrel 5. As before stated, this tubing catcher 4 is of the type wherein the relative L downward movement of the mandrel 5 with respect to the .carriage 3 causes the tubing catcher slips 6 to be spread into gripping engagement with thevwell casing 7 the downward movement of said carriage being nor- T5 mally retarded by the conventional spring strips 8 which frictionally engage the inner walls of the casing 7 My improved tubing catcher stop or setting device comprises an elongated cylindrical so body portionA 9 which encircles andslidably engages the tubing 1 below the collar 2, the upper portion of said body portion forming anupwardly extending sleeve 10 of suliiciently larger diameter than the main body 9 to ens. circle and slidably engage the collar 2, the remainder of said sleeve l0 being spaced apart from. the tube l, whereby relative longitudinal movement of the collar 2 and with it the I tubing 1 is permitted within said sleeve.

The body portion 9 is provided with av longitudinally extending elongated slot 1l which extends substantially the entire length of said body portion, the upper end of said slot A being inclined downwardly toward one side as at 12 and'. merging into a second shorter slotlB. This second slot also extends longitudinally of the body 9 along the upper portionlo'f the. elongated slot 11, and terminates I at its lower extremity in a substantially transverse continuation slot 14, the lower boundary of which is slightly upwardly inclined away from the vertical arm of the slot 13. The upper side of the slot 14 is provided with a recess or hook-shaped portion 15 adapted to normally engage a transversely projecting pin or lug 16 secured tothetubing 1, said pin being adapted to travel the course of said adjoining slots to control the function ofthe tubing'cat'cher stop as hereinafter set forth. Y'

17 represents a plurality of bowed spring strips, the upper ends of which are secured by bolts or other suitable means 18 tothe. body portion 9 of theY tubing catcher stop, their lower ends being 'free and the bowed portions being under a normally outward tension to -frictionally engage the inner walls of the casin'g'7, whereby the downward movement of said tubing catcher stop is retarded.

Having thus described the construction of my improved tubing catcher stop and the general structure and operation-of the" type of tubing catcher with which it is particularly adapted to bev-used, its operation is as fol.- lows f yAssuming that a series of tubing catchers are assembled on a string of Well tubing, with a tubing catcher stop secured in place anterior to each tubing catcher, in the position shown in Fig. 1. That is, with the pin or lug 16 lying in the transverse slot 14, the hook-shaped recess 15 supporting the stop on the pin 16, thereby preventing said sto Y from sliding down beyond a predetermine point on the tubing while the string of tubing is hanging in the derrick.

,As the string of tubing is lowered into the well casing, the downward movement of theV tubing catcher stop is lretarded bythe kfrictional engagement of the spring strips 17V with the inner walls of the casing 7 but itis forced downwardly ahead of the tubing ,catcher 4 by the engagement of the -pin16 with the lower side of the transverse slot 14. Normally during the lowering operation, the

sleeve 10 of the tubingcatclier stop extends upwardly around the tubingcollar 2 to a point substantially midway of its Vvertical extremities as shown' in Fig. 1, thus being spaced apart from the slip carriage 3 which is ysupported on the upper edge of said collar, in inoperative position. This tubing catcher stop in no way inter'- feres with the function of the tubing catcher Vin the event of an accident such asa parting of the well tubing and is only brought into play when the desired depth in the wellcasing is reached, or if for any reasonithe operator desires to stop the vtuloingat any'poi'nt yin the casing.

1 At such point, a slight turn ofthe tubing in counter-clockwise direction brings theA iny 16 into the vertical arm of the slot,13,`,( 2)

byV a slight upward strain onthe tubing and continued counter-clockwise rotation, the pin 16 comes into engagement with the inclined common upper extremity of the slots 13 and 11 respectively `which, due to the angle in inclination, causes the pin 16 to reach the point X in the extreme upper end of the slot 11.v The' string of tubing is then again permitted to descend, the pin 16 sliding in the elongated slot l1 as shown in Fig. 3,-'the-tnbing'catcher stop remaining' station- Vary Y due to the frictional contact of the sprin 17with the casing 7.

Thus,"as the tubing descends through the bodyportion 9, thecollar 2 likewise descends 'in the sleeve 10,`ther'eby bringing the slip carriage 3 of the .tubing catcher 4 into abut- ,ment with Vthe, upper extremity of the sleeve 1 0, preventing the 'further'downward movement/of the slip carriage. lThe continued downward movement ofthe string of tubing slight turn of the:.tubing in clockwise direction brings the pin into the vertical arm or slot 13. The tubing is then permitted to ciw descend aslightdistance-until-the pin reaches 'the lower end of the slot 13, whena further turn of the tubing in clockwise direction brings the pin intothe transverse arm or slot 14 which retains thetubing catcher stop in a non-functioning position.; The tubing catcher slipshavingvbeen disengaged from the casingby the upward movement of the tubing, the slip carriage 3 again rests upon the upper ledge of the collar 2 and the apparatus is again ina position to be lowered further into the well. Y

It will thus be seen that I have provided a novel device for use in setting a tubing catcher, which is simple in structure and operation i and extremely economical toy manufacture, vand furthermore obviously accurate in rits function.`A 4 u l l From the foregoing ,it is believed that, the objects and advantages of my improved'tubing lcatcher stop may be readily understood by those kskilled in the art/without further description,l it being bornein' mind that numerous changes may be made in the' details of construction without departing from the spirit of the in-ventionf'as set'forthin the following claims.v f l i' v` What I claim and desire to ters'rPatent is 1. Infcombin'ation with secure by Leta string of well rilo fris

ias

tubing, a tubing catcher mounted on said tubing, a member on the tubing for supporting said tubing catcher in inoperative position, a tubing catcher setting device comprising a cylindrical body portion slidably embracing said tubing below said supporting member, the upper extremity of said body portion terminating in an enlarged sleeve adapted' to slidably embrace said vsupporting member, means for locking said body portion against longitudinal movement on said tubing, whereby the upper extremity of said enlarged sleeve is normally positioned below the upper extremity of said supporting member and out of Contact with said tubing catcher, and

means for retarding the downward movement of said body portion in a well casing, said sleeve, when the looking means is released, being adapted to operatively engage said tubing catcher upon the downward movement of the string of tubing.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said looking means comprises a bayonet slotin said body portion and a pin rigidly secured to said tubing and extending through said slot, the upper extremity of said slot terminating in an angular surface inclined upwardly away from said pin when the latter is in locked position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

MLLARD F. WATERS. 

